We are happy to publish a recent collaboration for a school project in Kafountine, Senegal.
The project was an outcome of a great collaboration between three young greek architects in Barcelona, Spain. We kindly thank the architects Dimitris Stefanakis and Gerasimos Dimitrellos for the first ‘’431bis’’ partnership and cheer to many others coming on!
The proposal has its starting point on the co-existence of the natural and man-made environment, extensively seen in Senegal. The fluid geometries of the River of Csamance, basic idea for the design gesture of a surrounding wall which defines the space and protects it, together with the rigid topography of the fields around the new school which forms a grid where uses and classrooms are being placed.
The proposal is based on a completely sustainable design in order to be able to be built by local workers in a short time, with low cost of construction and maintenance. The use of local materials, such as Chevron wood, concrete and rammed-earth blocks made with the ‘’banko’’ technique, the sun protection of the primary spaces, the elevated roofs for continuous air cooling of the interior and the addition of small planted yards in-between the built areas for creating a micro-clima effect are some of the sustainable aspects of the building.